Small Business Value

NCA Commitment to Small Business

Since its formation nearly a hundred years ago, the National Coffee Association has been committed to the well being of the entire coffee industry — that includes coffee companies big and small. The specialty coffee boom of the past two decades has transformed the small business segment of the industry in many ways, creating new opportunities for the NCA to meet new and emerging needs. Though the NCA has always supported the small business community, the Association has made a conscious effort in recent years to provide more valued benefits of particular relevance to small business members; whether they are small or micro roasters, small chain or single store coffee cafes, small lot importers, or growers.

While there are many NCA services that benefit small businesses, this page lists those that were designed specifically with small business members in mind. We invite you to explore these benefits of membership.

Small Business Sessions at NCA Events

The NCA Coffee Summit and Annual Convention continually provide educational programming relevant to small business. These offering have increased over time to keep up with the changing coffee environment.

'Micro to Macro From Crop to Cup' is the theme for the 2010 Fall Education Conference, which will be held October 18 - 20 at The New Yorker Hotel, New York City.Take part in information sessions, go on educational cafe tours, and learn from fellow coffee industry professionals and discover very useful and effective practices that can benefit your small business.

100 years ago, the National Coffee Association was founded. Through a century of innovation and challenges, NCA has stood as the premier source of coffee-related research and education, a major ally in coffee industry advocacy, and a facilitator of inter-industry communication and collaboration. The National Coffee Association's 100th Convention will include many networking events, exhibitions, and educational sessions that will allow small business owners the opportunity to share their brand, gain valuable industry information as well as make new connections. Join us March 16-19, 2011 as we celebrate our Centennial in New Orleans, Louisiana.

In response to NCA members' call for more accessible educational opportunities, NCA is proud to continue with an ongoing series of timely and relevant programs for participants to partake in without leaving their office. These 90-minute Webinars are affordable, easy to attend, and bring a roster of impressive experts right to your desk.

We're always thinking about our next offering. Is there a topic you would like us to cover? Let us know at info@ncausa.org

NCA is further expanding its menu of educational services with the release of two training videos that explore coffee fundamentals all industry professionals need to know. The videos are designed to provide non-roasting and non-agronomy professionals with a fuller understanding of the coffee production/manufacturing process and enable them to better understand and tell the story of coffee. NCA members can stream these videos directly from the NCA website -- a FREE member resource.

Under a new agreement, the NCA has entered into a strategic alliance with the Cup of Excellence program (COE). The alliance reflects an expansion of NCA’s ongoing commitment to quality and an enhanced focus on premium coffees as an important industry and membership sector.Read more about the alliance

NCA has assembled some of the most popular coffee book titles that address the needs of Coffee House owners and entrepreneurs. Whether you are looking for technical information on coffee manufacturing or how to start your own coffee bar, you're likely to find the book you need here.

Governmental Affairs Activities that Help Small Business

Most of the legislative affairs activity of the NCA have a direct or indirect impact on small business income and expenses. Whether it's blocking regulations that would increase port fees or force expensive labeling requirements, NCA diligently responds to any national or state initiatives that would hurt your bottom line. For example, the NCA was recently successful in convincing California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to veto legislation that would have placed an additional tax burden on imported green coffee--a cost that would have been passed along to all roasters and retailers.